Meeting Minutes 1/9/2014

Service Unit meeting minutes 1/9/14

1.    Marina (Sue Leigh's daughter) earned her Gold Award and she came to the meeting to talk about her experience. Congratulations Marina!!

2.    Treasurer's Report (Monica via Vicky): last month at te Team meeting, the budget was finally approved and the annual assessment fee was raised to $2/Scout (minimum). This assessment is requested from cookie-selling troops to help fund the lifetime memberships that the service Unit gifts to graduating Girl Scouts each year.

3.    Recruitment Update (Vicky): Melissa F was welcomed to her first Service Unit meeting. In addition to her brownie troop, she is now leading the new Kindergarten Daisy troop for Woodbridge. They meet on Sundays. Bethany still needs a leader and a troop.

4.    Registrar Report (Mary): with cookie sales started, registrations are finally pouring in and we have over 300 girls registered.

5.    Cookie Sales Update (Sue L, vis Vicky):  use your meetings to set goals, learn about cookies and role play sales. Sue will only communicate with troop Cookie mom/manager. Don't try to intervene-you will only confuse things. If you have a cookie question, ask your cookie mom/manager first.  If she doesn't know, SHE should contact Sue Leigh, not the leader or anyone else.

6.    Website Update (Clio): if you like getting inspiration for projects, we also set up an Amity Girl Scouts Pinterest board. Please email me ideas or follow the board and suggest pins.  There is a link from our website "Great Links" page. Minutes and Training moments also have their own tabs/pages now on our website www.amitygirlscouts.blogspot.com

7.    Service Unit Calendar (Vicky):

·   1/25 Bowling with the boys (Deb & Deb)-still has room. Sign up deadline was 1/12. Participants must prepay. No walkins.  Everyone is asked to bring socks for the homeless shelter.

·   3/2 Thinking Day (Clio/Karen) send in your country preferences ASAP.  See emailed flyer for details. Troops and individual scouts and friends  will be encouraged to attend -they do not need to prepare a country table to participate. It can be a great recruiting opportunity and also a nice way for Daisies to see what older girls are doing. We will use stage again and have a great sound system courtesy of a Girl Scout dad.

·   6/6-8 Camporee (Mary): she was trained and Camporee rules are being strictly enforced by Council.  We need to meet 80% occupancy in order to reserve entire campground so April 11th deadline is critical. Reservation with council requires a 2 night payment because we need it all day Saturday. The theme will be CLUE.  3/1 is the deadline for for 2914/2015 reservation.

8.    Delegate update (Karen): there was an open membership meeting for GSofCT in December but it was not well attended and many of us forgot. Winter membership meeting is an open forum so it's a good opportunity to speak directly with board members about governance issues although the meeting notes mentioned that most discussions focused on operational issues.

9.    Council Update (Anita):

·   Campsites: please use our campsites during vacations and days off. They are free after 3pm Sundays until 3pm Fridays. Great opportunity. Both AnSeOx and Katoyah are very close-Katoyah is on the Orange border but unfortunately now it is closed because of the new pool construction.  Murray isn’t that far either.  Using a campsite on weekends is $3/pp per night and $4.50/pp/night for a Camporee. Look for the Connie the Catepillar council badge-girls love visiting all the properties and building the caterpillar.

·   Cookie rallies were great. They were free family events.

·   Cookie hints:

·   Girls should write thank you'd for cookies or make little thank you gifts--bottle cap Magnets

·   People Skill handouts

·   Bookmark tips

·   Chest sheets for prices

·   Buy extra cookies to give to people who host meetings (janitors, secretaries).

·   Bethany needs another recruiting event so someone should make a flyer.

·   She demonstrated Valentine craft using Dollar Store items. She also reminded us that she has excess craft items at council if you are in a bind.

·   GS Program Consultant – new position - if you are having a guest speaker at a troop meeting-20 minute online course for them.

·   Big Sing & Swap on 2/15-hoping to sell out 3000 seats. Great fun. Plenty of swap ideas online.

·   2/28 No Haven SU having Zumba Heart Sisters event and we are invited.

·   Hamden SU is planning a first aid training next week if you want to attend.

·   Recognitions Committee has released a new guidebook. Don't forget to start thinking from now about Helping Hands and Leading the Way, Outstanding volunteer and Outstanding Leader. Process has changed this year to make it easier.   Clio is the SU Recognitions Committee Chair and is looking for more help.  Vicky will be receiving her 20 yr pin this year-hopefully she will go to the Annual meeting on May!

10. Training Moment (Vicky): Troop Trip Form-in Volunteer Essentials book online or p. 125 in old version hard copy.  If an event is held somewhere other than a meeting place, you must do a troop trip form. They should be sent to Vicky along with the participant lift (girls and adults). Usually easiest to just send entire roster with form. Troop trip form not needed for Council events or Service Unt events but troops are still required to get Permission slips and always carry troop paperwork (registration, health and consent forms).

Best Practices advice: place your troop forms in a manila or plastic envelope or small binder and always carry it with you.  For backup copies, our tech savvy leaders suggested setting up a Dropbox account and give access to your leaders.

Next meeting 2/13/2014